To all those people who have to drag themselves in to a job they hate, or that is boring or otherwise unsatisfactory – I’m so sorry! Especially at this time of year, when each day at the garden centre brings new and interesting plants along with the developing beauty of all that we stock.

The customers that I talk to are also, for the most part, in a good frame of mind because they’re happy to be there, treating themselves to some beautiful ornamental plants or delicious edibles.

Delicious fresh vegetables – ready to plant in your garden

My employers and coworkers are awesome people too, and just as crazy about horticulture as I am, though each of us has different preferences and passions. I’m pretty much omnivorous in my appetite for growing – fruit, veggies, trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, vines, new introductions, old classics; I love ‘em all!

I’m trying to teach myself to drink in all the beauty while I’m at work, rather than buying one of everything that I like – I have only so much room in my garden. Fortunately I have a fairly big (and always expanding) garden, so I can usually find a spot for the plants I MUST have.

Osteospermum, lovely AND deer resistant!

Of course, it’s easy to enjoy working at the garden centre on a sunny spring day, but I’ve put in my fair share of days clad in a fetching suit of yellow rubber rain gear, slogging through the mud toting and heeling in big, heavy trees in sideways sleet. On those days I don’t feel so lucky…

But I won’t complain – these days I’m only at the garden centre a couple of days a week, and then I spend much of my time flapping my jaw – somehow I’ve become the go-to person for answering questions! I know there are a lot of people who know a lot more than I, because I don’t specialize in any one aspect of horticulture, but I guess I have a fairly broad base of knowledge, and certainly no lack of opinion!

Which are your favourite tomato varieties?

Lucky me, to be able to indulge my passion through my job, I’ll never get (monetarily) rich working at the garden centre, but I am richly rewarded.

Rate this:

Share this:

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

About hortophile

I am a very opinionated, slightly obsessed gardener with decades of experience in the retail nursery industry. A lucky resident of the "Wet Coast" of British Columbia I tread a muddy path between practicality and beauty, with my veggie patch, herb garden and fruits vying for position with the beautiful trees, shrubs and flowers that I can't resist. DON'T ask me to choose between them!
I believe in environmental responsibility and common sense.